Going the way of the US electorate? FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 06/05/2010

Going the way of the US electorate?

FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 06/05/2010 From the results of the local elections, with congressmen already proclaimed, it does appear that identification with Gloria Arroyo and her administration contributed hugely to the defeat of several of her local bets, although it must be pointed out that some, if not many, of the old Lakas politicians jumped the Gloria ship and swore allegiance to the LP during the campaign season. Still, as of the last count of the winning Lakas candidates, the Lakas-Kampi numbers are much more than other parties, such as the Liberal Party, the Nacionalista Party, the Pwersa ng Masa, independents and party listers. But with a new president and a new administration, it is very likely that some, if not many of the Lakas-Kampi congressmen will either retain their party identities but go into a coalition of sorts with the LPs, or remain together as a powerful opposition bloc and party in Congress, if a strong Lakas Party leader can pull the Lakas team together. Right now, the fate of Lakas is in Gloria’s hands, that is, if she wants to do a Nancy Pelosi and become a powerful Speaker, although word today from Malacañang is that Gloria is not interested in the race for the speakership. But then again, this is also the position she took when she said that she would no longer run for the presidency in 2004 as well as the Palace earlier insisting that Gloria would step down from Malacañang when her term is up, and that she is not eyeing a congressional post after she leaves the Palace. But what should prove more politically interesting, however, is whether the electorate will be going the way of the American electorate, in that those politicians who had switched parties from Republican to Democrats and vice versa, with an Obama win, as well as those incumbents who had voted along with Obama’s Democrats, thus going against their constituents in their respective states, are now being spurned by the American electorate.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100605com2.html

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